SAN JOSE, Calif. and TIANJIN, China, June 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Today Wrightspeed Inc., the leading manufacturer of range-extended electric vehicle powertrains, was awarded as a World Economic Forum’s Technology Pioneer, a selection of the world’s most innovative companies. Designed as a replacement for conventional piston engine and transmission systems, Wrightspeed’s the Route™ is a range-extended electric vehicle powertrain that provides unlimited range and dramatic fuel cost reductions for today’s refuse, delivery and mass transit markets.

Wrightspeed was chosen by a professional jury among hundreds of candidates as one of the 30 selected companies. Thanks to its selection, it will have access to an influential and sought-after business and political network worldwide. Ian Wright, CEO and founder of Wrightspeed, is participating in the Annual Meeting of the New Champions, and many Technology Pioneers will also participate in the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2017 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland.

“We welcome Wrightspeed in this group of extraordinary pioneers,” said Fulvia Montresor, Head of Technology Pioneers at the World Economic Forum. “Wrightspeed is among those companies that are shaping the Fourth Industrial Revolution, a technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work and relate to one another. Through the platform of the World Economic Forum, it will be able to scale and share its technology and achieve a larger impact.”

“We are honored to be recognized by the World Economic Forum as one of the world’s most innovative companies,” said Ian Wright, CEO and Founder of Wrightspeed. “At Wrightspeed, we’re dedicated to achieving efficiency without compromising performance. This award affirms the efficacy of our approach to improving the performance and operations of our cities’ most demanding vehicles, and we’re proud to know the world’s leading economic thinkers are aligned with our vision.”

As in previous years, American-based entrepreneurs continue to dominate the list of Technology Pioneers, with 22 out of 30 recipients. Other selected pioneers come from France (2), Luxembourg (2), and Canada, Israel, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The Technology Pioneers are mostly active in IT, health (medtech), food, energy, environment, financial services (fintech) and production.

The Technology Pioneers were selected from among hundreds of applicants by a selection committee of 68 academics, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and corporate executives. Notable members of the committee include Jeffrey M. Drazen (Editor-in-Chief, The New England Journal of Medicine) and Sang Yup Lee (Distinguished Professor and Director, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology). The committee based its decisions on criteria including innovation, potential impact, working prototype, viability and leadership. Past recipients include Google (2001), Wikimedia (2007), Mozilla (2007), Kickstarter (2011) and Airbnb (2013). More information on past winners can be found here.

All information on this year’s Technology Pioneers can be found here: http://wef.ch/techpioneers

About Wrightspeed Inc.

Wrightspeed Inc. is the leading manufacturer of range-extended electric vehicle powertrains. Built on a tradition of quality systems engineering, Wrightspeed’s powertrains are the next step in the evolution of vehicle propulsion. Its flagship product, the Route™, was designed to transcend commercial truck efficiency and performance, providing unlimited range and dramatically reduced fuel costs. Located in Silicon Valley, Wrightspeed was founded by Ian Wright, co-founder of Tesla Motors. For more information about Wrightspeed visit: http://wrightspeed.com/ and follow us on Twitter at @GOWrightspeed.

About the World Economic Forum: The World Economic Forum, committed to improving the state of the world, is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. (www.weforum.org).